Keenum throws for 2 TDs as Vikings win 8th straight

By The Associated Press

Sunday

Dec 3, 2017 at 8:10 PMDec 3, 2017 at 8:46 PM

ATLANTA — Case Keenum threw a pair of touchdown passes, and the Minnesota Vikings extended their winning streak to eight straight games, keeping the Atlanta Falcons out of the end zone in a 14-9 victory on Sunday.

Keenum, who was 25 of 30 for 227 yards, hooked up with Jerick McKinnon on a 2-yard scoring play in the second quarter, and went to Kyle Rudolph for a 6-yard TD on the first play of the fourth quarter, capping an 89-yard drive that consumed more than eight minutes.

Minnesota (10-2) turned in a stellar defensive effort against a Falcons team that led the league in scoring a year ago and seemed to be finding its stride during a three-game winning streak, averaging nearly 32 points. While Minnesota remained far ahead in the NFC North, the Falcons’ fell further behind in the NFC South and could be damaged in the wild-card race.

The Falcons (7-5) were held without a touchdown for the first time since Dec. 13, 2015, when they were blanked 38-0 by Carolina. Matt Ryan’s streak of 30 straight games with a touchdown pass also ended, going down as the eighth longest in NFL history.

PATRIOTS 23, BILLS 3

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Rex Burkhead scored twice and the Patriots won their eighth straight in an AFC East showdown overshadowed by injuries and cheap shots.

Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a towel draped over his head while being carted off the sideline with a left knee injury early in the fourth quarter.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, meanwhile, was accused of making a dirty hit after pile-driving shoulder-first into the back of the head of Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, who was laying on the field after making an interception with 4:50 remaining.

White was dazed as he got up and was immediately escorted to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. The hit sparked a shoving match between Hyde and Patriots receiver Danny Amendola. Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes was so upset he was flagged for making contact with an official.

Gronkowski was apologetic after the game.

Tom Brady went 21 of 30 for 258 yards and an interception, while improving to 27-3 over Buffalo and breaking Brett Favre’s NFL record for most wins by a quarterback against any one opponent. Favre had 26 wins over Detroit.

Brady needed to simply stand aside and let the Patriots’ rejuvenated rushing attack wear down the Bills in a game New England (10-2) never trailed. Dion Lewis had 92 yards rushing and Burkhead had 78.

New England won its 14th consecutive road game — the second-longest streak in NFL history — and reached double-digits in victories for the 15th consecutive season. New England also improved to 30-5 against Buffalo since Patriots coach Bill Belichick was hired in 2000.

The Bills are 6-6.

SAINTS 31, PANTHERS 21

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Rookie sensation Alvin Kamara scored two tackle-shedding touchdowns, and New Orleans took advantage of a pair of Carolina special teams gaffes asthe Saints reclaimed sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

Mark Ingram rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown for the Saints (9-3), who own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Carolina (8-4) with four games to go.

Drew Brees passed for 269 yards, including a 10-yard TD to Michael Thomas a few plays after a botched Panthers punt gave New Orleans the ball on the Carolina 31. In the fourth quarter, a fumble by Panthers punt returner Kaelin Clay near midfield set up Wil Lutz’s 31-yard field goal to give New Orleans a 31-14 lead.

Cam Newton passed for 183 yards and touchdowns of 21 yards to Christian McCaffrey and 24 to Devin Funchess. Newton also ran for 51 yards. Jonathan Stewart added a short TD run for Carolina, which had its four-game winning streak ended.

The Panthers were unable to convert a crucial fourth-and-6 play deep in Saints territory in the fourth quarter. Newton connected with Funchess, who was stopped a yard short by cornerback Ken Crawley.

Kamara finished with 122 yards from scrimmage.

RAIDERS 24, GIANTS 17

OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland’s Marshawn Lynch had a 51-yard touchdown run and got his first 100-yard rushing game since coming out of retirement, in New York’s first game without Eli Manning starting in 13 years.

Oakland (6-6) overcame the absences of starting receivers Michael Crabtree (suspension) and Amari Cooper (injury) to win consecutive games for the first time since the opening two games of the season. The Raiders moved into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West with Kansas City and the Chargers.

Geno Smith lost two fumbles before throwing a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Evan Engram for the Giants (2-10), while Manning spent the day on the sideline watching.

New York benched Manning earlier in the week, ending his streak of 210 straight regular-season starts, and he spent his first game as a spectator since Nov. 14, 2004, walking around the sideline with no helmet and listening to the play calls with an ear piece.

Smith finished 21 for 34 for 212 yards.

RAIDERS 32, RAMS 16

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jared Goff passed for two touchdowns, Los Angeles took advantage of two early interceptions thrown by Blaine Gabbert, and the Rams solidified their grip on first place in the NFC West.

The Rams (9-3) won for the sixth time in seven games to clinch their first winning season since 2003 when they were in St. Louis. They took the season series with the Cardinals for only the second time in the last 14 years and first since 2012.

The Rams had routed the Cardinals in London 33-0 on Oct. 22 and were in the lead almost from the start of this one. Gabbert’s interceptions helped Los Angeles score 16 early points, including Alec Ogletree’s 41-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the Rams led the rest of the way.

The Cardinals (5-7) cut the lead to 16-13 in the second quarter and were down 19-13 at the break.

The Rams added an 11-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Sammy Watkins in the third quarter and got a blocked field goal from Michael Brockers in the fourth, when Arizona could have cut the lead to seven.

With Adrian Peterson sitting out with a neck injury, and despite playing with cracked ribs, Kerwynn Williams carried 16 times for 97 yards, three shy of his career best.

JETS 38, CHIEFS 31

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Josh McCown scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 2:15 left, and the Jets bounced back from a brutal start for a wild and wacky win over the spiraling Chiefs.

Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 21-yard field goal to put the Jets (5-7) ahead with 3:55 left. But Kansas City’s Bennie Logan was called for a personal foul for hitting long snapper Thomas Hennessy on the play. That gave the Jets the ball at the 1 with a new set of downs.

After two running plays, McCown threw incomplete — but Steven Nelson was penalized for defensive holding, making it first-and-goal from the 2. Three plays later, McCown kept the ball and shoved his way into the end zone.

McCown’s pass on the 2-point conversion was incomplete, but Nelson was called for holding. An enraged Marcus Peters picked up the penalty flag and tossed it away, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Elijah McGuire ran it in moments later to convert the 2-point play and make it 38-31.

McCown finished with 331 yards passing and a touchdown to Matt Forte, and ran for two scores — including the winner. Jermaine Kearse had nine catches for 157 yards and Robby Anderson caught eight passes for 107 yards as the Jets dominated in time of possession, but still had to hold their breath in the end.

After Tyreek Hill’s 40-yard catch put the ball at the Jets 23, Smith completed a 4-yard pass to Travis Kelce, who had two early touchdowns. But Smith was then incomplete on three straight passes.

The loss by the Chiefs (6-6) ruined the return of cornerback Darrelle Revis, who made his debut with Kansas City after signing a two-year deal last week. Revis, who played eight years over two stints with the Jets, started for the Chiefs, but spent the second half on the sideline.

Kansas City has dropped six of its last seven after opening the season 5-0.

PACKERS 26, BUCCANEERS 20, OT

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Jones’ 20-yard touchdown run on his only carry, with 5:59 left in overtime, won it.

With the passing game struggling, Green Bay (6-6) wore down the Buccaneers on the ground. Brett Hundley had runs of 18 and 7 yards on the drive to start overtime.

The Packers grinded out a win to stay in the playoff race, though they trail NFC North leader Minnesota by four games. They hope to get starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers back from a collarbone injury in a couple weeks.

Jameis Winston threw two touchdown passes to Cameron Brate in the quarterback’s shaky return from a shoulder injury. But the defense couldn’t hold up in overtime for the last-place Buccaneers (4-8).

Mason Crosby’s 22-yard field goal tied the game at 20 with 2:01 left, giving the team a lift after the Bucs tried to wear out the Packers on the run.

Peyton Barber had 102 yards for 23 carries. Winston finished 21 of 32 for 270 yards, including an 11-yard pass to Brate for a 20-17 lead with 6:02 left.

TITANS 24, TEXANS 13

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — LeShaun Sims intercepted a pass intended for DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone with 1:02 left, and the stayed atop the AFC South.

Marcus Mariota also ran for a touchdown and threw for another, but the Titans needed the interception to preserve the win with Tom Savage throwing for a career-high 365 yards despite the Texans losing four offensive players to injuries during the game.

The Titans (8-4) won their second straight and sixth of their past seven. They improved to 4-1 in the AFC South to stay ahead of Jacksonville, a winner over Indianapolis.

Tennessee didn’t look ready to take advantage of a chance for a little payback against Houston for the 57-14 beat-down the Texans put on them Oct. 1 when Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt were healthy. The Titans even fell behind 10-0 before rallying to tie at halftime.

Injuries have taken a toll on the Texans (4-8). Savage even made up for three consecutive false starts by Jeff Allen, who slid over to left tackle, after having fourth-and-4. Savage found Stephen Anderson with a 22-yarder.

Sims beat Hopkins for the interception on the next play, and Derrick Henry ran 75 yards up the left sideline for a TD three plays later. Henry finished with 109 yards rushing.

RAVENS 44, LIONS 20

BALTIMORE — Joe Flacco threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and the Ravens survived a strong comeback bid by Matthew Stafford and the Lions.

After relying heavily on their opportunistic defense for much of the season, the Ravens (7-5) finally received an ample contribution from the league’s 31st-ranked offense. Flacco helped Baltimore take a 20-0 halftime lead and directed three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to keep the Ravens in front.

Flacco completed 23 of 36 passes while guiding an offense that did not commit a turnover.

Stafford completed a team-record 20 straight passes in the second half, twice getting the Lions within a touchdown. But Detroit (6-6) lost a second straight following a three-game winning streak.

Stafford left late in the fourth quarter with a right hand injury; his hand was stepped on. He went 24 for 29 for 292 yards.

The Ravens came in with three shutouts and an NFL-best 26 takeaways. They forced three more turnovers, all of them pivotal.

JAGUARS 30, COLTS 10

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Blake Bortles threw two touchdown passes, Leonard Fournette scored for the first time in six weeks and the Jaguars swept the series for the second time since they joined the AFC South in 2002.

The Jaguars (8-4) bounced back from a last-second loss at Arizona, reached eight wins for the first time since 2010, and remained in the thick of the playoff picture.

Bortles, Fournette and some more trickery had a lot to do with the latest victory. Bortles completed 26 of 35 passes for 309 yards, with TD passes to Marqise Lee and Keelan Cole.

Fournette found little room for the third time in the past four games. He finished with 57 yards on 20 carries and limped off the field with an ankle injury late in the third quarter, but re-entered the game. Fournette went untouched for a 5-yard score to open the second half.

Jacksonville’s top-ranked defense kept the Colts (3-9) at bay most of the game. The only blemish was a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jacoby Brissett to T.Y. Hilton on a fourth-and-2 play in the third quarter.

The Jaguars got the lopsided result started with a fake punt. It was Jacksonville’s third fake punt of the season — all successful and all leading to touchdowns.

Miami (5-7) scored two safeties in a game for the first time in franchise history and held Denver to 1 for 13 on third-down conversions. Trevor Siemian, the Broncos’ third starting quarterback in as many weeks, went 20 for 42 for 219 yards with three interceptions.

Kenyan Drake rushed for 120 yards for Miami on 23 carries, both career highs. He scored on a 42-yard touchdown run — only the Dolphins’ second rush for a TD this year.

Miami won for the first time since Week 7, while the Broncos went from bad to worse, extending their longest skid in 50 years.

49ERS 15, BEARS 14

CHICAGO — Robbie Gould kicked a 24-yard field goal in the closing seconds and Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 293 yards in his first San Francisco start.

Gould made five field goals in his first appearance at Soldier Field since Chicago cut him prior to the 2016 opener. The Bears’ all-time leader in points and field goals made, he shouted at their sideline after he nailed the winner.

Garoppolo was solid in his first start since the 49ers (2-10) acquired him from New England before the trade deadline in October. The suburban Chicago product completed 26 of 37 passes with an interception. And the 49ers picked up the win after losing their first five road games.

Chicago (3-9) dropped its fifth straight, and coach John Fox fell to 12-32 in three seasons with the Bears.

Tarik Cohen returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown. That made him the first NFL rookie with rushing, receiving, passing and punt return TDs in a season since Gale Sayers in 1965

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